It’s very easy for me to say that El-P has re-invented the wheel twice in the Hip-Hop game. The first time he did it was with Fantastic Damage (One of the best debuts ever?), and without a question he did it again on I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead. Don’t get me wrong, I love both albums as much as you possibly could, I just think Fantastic Damage has a slight edge on ISWYD. The dark, hard hitting, brain hemorrhaging beats on this album are some of the most crazy concoctions my ear drums have ever had the pleasure of discovering. To me it’s no wonder that people were waiting for I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead with such anticipation… they new it was going to be a classic because of Fantastic Damage. Continue reading →

So this pretty much made my night, I happened to stop by Pitchfork one more time before I went to bed to see if I missed anything interesting today, and look what I found! A new Cage track, but not just any Cage track, this one is produced by El-P (my favorite hip-hop artist). “Nothing Left to Say” is slow to take flight, the first minute or so is essentially a Cage monologue, ranting about the usual life problems and lessons that he seems to touch on. But then lift off, after that first part the track grabs the listener immediately, blasting off into outer space. The production of El-P stand out on this cut for sure, thanks to the various different parts that contribute to the killer beat. Various loops all come together and bang throughout the entire track, coupled with NYC driven lyrics that are dark and dreary, as though Cage would have it any other way, ha. But yeah this is an absolutely sick track, give it a listen for sure.Hip-hop is alive and well y’all, Enjoy!!!

I really don’t want to sell this album short because, this album is one more nail in the coffin as a testament to Rhymesayers Entertainment‘s complete solidity in independent Hip-Hop. I first heard about P.O.S. when Audition dropped in 2006, and I listened to the album and immediately fell in love with it. It was the perfect blend of Hip-Hop and punk attitude. I knew that this album was going to be special but I had no idea what to think.

I read an interview over at Culture Bully and the guy said that this album almost had the same fitting comparison as El-P’s masterpiece, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead. I honestly had the exact same thought in my mind because this album has different soundscapes all over the album but it shows major cohesiveness even while being so diverse with sound.

The opening track is called “Let It Rattle” and it starts off with Stef saying “Sorry I took so long”. I didn’t know the whole story about his album getting stolen at a show until I watched the interview with Kiwibox. P.O.S. rolls right in with an acapella first verse with no real beat in the background and political jabs and uppercuts. When the beat kicks in it’s a barrage of hard hitting drums and anger. This might be one of the most politically driven albums you will hear the whole year, and it is pouring with Stef’s heart and soul. “Savion Glover” is one of those tracks that I could easily see playing at a party with a bunch of kids dancing infectiously to. It has some great cuts that had me smiling within the first five seconds of hearing the track. The track “Goodbye” could very well be the highlight of the album next to “Low Light Low Life”. “Goodbye” (produced by Lazer Beak) has an incredible beat with a great vocal sample, loud ear assaulting horns and Stef’s usual blood, sweat and tears pouring out onto the track like his life depended on it. Like I said before “Low Light Low Life” in opinion is probably the highlight of Never Better which features Sims & Dessa (of the Doomtree crew) on a great beat by Paper Tiger.

This is a fantastic album that is a great benchmark in the quality of music that P.O.S. and Rhymesayers are putting out. I hate to say things so early in the year, but this album will probably be one of my favorites this year. It’s great to see such great quality music coming out early in the year. It makes me proud to be from Minnesnota. It also lets me know that we can look forward to great things from P.O.S. and RSE this year.